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A judge has slammed a school for victimising for a second time girls who had been indecently assaulted by their teacher.
The teenagers, who claimed a Glenfield College teacher touched them indecently, were split up and put in separate classes.
It has emerged three students - one of whom went to the principal in tears over the allegations - ended up being isolated at school. A family member described that in a court statement as "segregation".
A relative of one of the girls - none of whom can be legally identified - told the Weekend Herald the victims were "made to feel like dirty little Maori girls".
One - who was proud of her Maori heritage and was considered a prospective head girl - ended up dropping out of the college's kapa haka group and ultimately left the school. Her life went downhill.
The college's former Maori studies head Heremia Smith, 30, was last month convicted of four charges of indecent assault and two of sexual conduct against a girl under 16 relating to three victims, all of whom had been his students.
He was found not guilty of one count of sexual violation and seven other indecent assault charges between 2002 and 2005.
Judge Josephine Bouchier said during a sentencing hearing in the Auckland District Court this week that the trio had done the right thing by coming forward.
She said they were then isolated and put in separate classes, "which would have appeared to have victimised them all over again".
The judge said she would sentence Smith to home detention next month. Final sentencing could not go ahead this week as the first address provided did not meet required criteria.
When the girls made the allegations in 2005, the North Shore high school was already dealing with a raft of problems.
Its board of trustees had been dissolved by the Minister of Education and replaced by commissioner Gail Thomson. A year earlier dissatisfied staff had sent a letter to the board and there were claims of bullying and intimidation, an unsafe working environment and falling morale.
Former principal Mel Cooper, who quit Glenfield in 2005, told the Weekend Herald he was not aware of the girls being "segregated".
"From what I can remember, I handed the case to the commissioner once the statements had been taken and then I had nothing more to do with it after that."
Former interim principal Peter Gall - who was at the college for less than two terms while a permanent replacement for Mr Cooper was found - said alarm bells started ringing when two parents approached him.
"From my recollection, the girls weren't attending school," said Mr Gall, president of the Secondary Teachers Association.
"That's obviously an issue and a problem, that they felt so distressed about the situation that they were not attending."
He said he strongly urged them to go to the police and access Victim Support services.
Mr Gall said the parents were upset because Smith was still a registered teacher.
The Teachers Council requires court proceedings to be finished before its own disciplinary processes begin.
